Liquid-control optical element and manufacturing method thereof and device having the same

Abstract

A liquid-control optical element is provided herein. The optical element includes two liquids with different phases. The two liquids are immiscible and have different optical index. By applying a voltage through electrodes to form an electric field, the slope of an interface between the two liquids is changed. The purpose of changing the slope is to change the shape of the interface or the moving or rotating direction. Thus, according to the law of total internal reflection or the law of refraction, the liquid-control optical element can be used as a liquid shutter device, or a liquid scanner device if a scanning is performed after penetrating the element.

1. A liquid-control optical element, comprising:
 a first liquid and a second liquid, wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are immiscible and form a liquid contact interface within the optical element; and 
 a liquid carrier for controlling the first liquid and the second liquid inside the optical element, the liquid carrier comprising:
 an insulating layer serving as an inner sidewall layer of the liquid carrier, wherein an interior of the insulating layer carries the first liquid and the second liquid, and an exterior of the insulation layer is provided with at least a first side electrode layer and a second side electrode layer; and 
 a top surface layer; and a bottom surface layer, which are a transparent electrode layer and a transparent layer respectively, 
 
 wherein a first voltage is applied between the first side electrode layer and the transparent electrode layer, and a second voltage is applied between the second electrode layer and the transparent electrode layer. 
 
   
   
     2. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 1 , wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are a conducting liquid and a non-conducting liquid respectively. 
   
   
     3. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 2 , wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are immiscible each other. 
   
   
     4. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 3 , wherein the first and second liquids as a top and bottom stack layer completely fill up an inner space of the liquid carrier of the liquid-control optical element. 
   
   
     5. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 4 , wherein the liquid carrier of the liquid-control optical element has a triangular pillar body, a rectangular pillar body, a pentagonal pillar body, a polygonal pillar body or a circular pillar body. 
   
   
     6. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 3 , wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are alternately disposed such that a three-layer stack layer comprising the first, second and first liquid layers completely fills up the inner space of the liquid carrier of the liquid-control optical element. 
   
   
     7. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 1 , wherein a material constituting the insulating layer comprises a non-conductive photoresist or Teflon. 
   
   
     8. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 1 , wherein a material constituting the side electrode layers comprises indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide or a metal. 
   
   
     9. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 1 , wherein a material constituting the transparent electrode layer comprises indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide, and a material constituting the transparent layer comprises quartz or glass. 
   
   
     10. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 1 , wherein the first voltage and the second voltage produce an electric field inside the liquid carrier of the liquid-control optical element, and a slope of the contact interface of the two immiscible liquids is adjustable by adjusting the first voltage and the second voltage. 
   
   
     11. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 10 , wherein any variation of the slope of the liquid contact interface changes a light path of an incident light beam inside the liquid-control optical element. 
   
   
     12. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 11 , wherein the variation of the light path inside the liquid-control optical element comprises a total internal reflection path and refraction paths at different angles. 
   
   
     13. The liquid-control optical element of  claim 12 , wherein a light beam passing through the liquid-control optical element follows the variation of the slope of the liquid contact interface due to the application of a sequentially varied voltage to produce a scanning effect of a refracted light beam or serve as an optical shutter when the light is totally reflected. 
   
   
     14. A method of manufacturing a liquid-control optical element, comprising:
 providing a liquid carrier; 
 forming an insulating layer on an inner sidewall of the liquid carrier, and forming an electrode layer on the insulating layer, wherein the electrode layer comprises a first side electrode layer and a second electrode layer; 
 providing a transparent electrode layer and a transparent layer on a top and bottom surface of the liquid carrier respectively, and connecting the first side electrode layer, the second side electrode layer, and the transparent electrode layer to different voltage sources; 
 sequentially loading a first liquid and a second liquid into the liquid carrier such that the first liquid is stacked over the second liquid, wherein the contact interface between the first liquid and the second liquid is an immiscible liquid interface; and 
 applying a first voltage between the first electrode layer and the transparent electrode layer and applying a second voltage between the second electrode layer and the transparent electrode layer to produce a controlling electric field inside the liquid carrier of the liquid-control optical element, and using the controlling electric field to change the slope of the liquid contact interface and produce a liquid-control optical element for controlling a light path. 
 
   
   
     15. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 14 , wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are a conducting liquid and a non-conducting liquid respectively. 
   
   
     16. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 15 , wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are immiscible each other. 
   
   
     17. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 16 , wherein the first and second liquids as a top and bottom stack layer completely fill up an inner space of the liquid carrier of the liquid-control optical element. 
   
   
     18. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 17 , wherein the liquid carrier of the liquid-control optical element has a triangular pillar body, a rectangular pillar body, a pentagonal pillar body, a polygonal pillar body or a circular pillar body. 
   
   
     19. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 16 , wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are alternately disposed such that a three-layer stack layer comprising the first, second and first liquid layers completely fills up the inner space of the liquid carrier of the liquid-control optical element. 
   
   
     20. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 14 , wherein a material constituting the insulating layer comprises a non-conductive photoresist or Teflon. 
   
   
     21. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 14 , wherein a material constituting the side electrode layers comprises indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide or a metal. 
   
   
     22. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 14 , wherein a material constituting the transparent electrode layer comprises indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide, and a material constituting the transparent layer comprises quartz or glass. 
   
   
     23. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 14 , wherein the controlling electric field produced by the application of different voltages has the capability of changing the slope of the plane of the liquid interface between the two immiscible liquids. 
   
   
     24. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 23 , wherein a variation of the slope of the liquid contact interface has the capability of changing a light path inside the liquid-control optical element. 
   
   
     25. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 24 , wherein the variation of the light path inside the liquid-control optical element comprises a total internal reflection path and refraction paths at different angles. 
   
   
     26. The method of manufacturing the liquid-control optical element of  claim 25 , wherein a light beam passing through the liquid-control optical element follows the variation of the slope of the liquid contact interface due to the application of a sequential variation of voltage to produce a scanning effect of a refracted light beam or an optical shuttering effect when the light is totally reflected. 
   
   
     27. An optical element device for controlling a liquid interface formed between a first liquid and a second liquid which are immiscible each other, the first liquid being stacked on the second liquid, the optical element device comprising:
 a liquid carrier comprising:
 an inner sidewall layer coated with an insulating material layer, and 
 a side electrode layer provided outside the inner sidewall layer, wherein the insulating material layer contacts with the first liquid and the second liquid, and the side electrode layer comprises a first side electrode and a second side electrode; 
 
 a transparent electrode layer, formed on a surface of the liquid carrier substantially normal to the side electrode layer, and separated from the side electrode layer through the insulating material layer; 
 a transparent layer, formed on another surface of the liquid carrier substantially normal to the first side electrode and the second electrode; and 
 at least a first voltage source and a second voltage source, wherein the first voltage source is provided between the first side electrode and the transparent electrode layer, and the second voltage source is provided between the second electrode and the transparent electrode layer. 
 
   
   
     28. The optical element device of  claim 27 , wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are immiscible each other. 
   
   
     29. The optical element device of  claim 28 , wherein the first and second liquids as a top and bottom stack layer completely fill up an inner space of the liquid carrier of the liquid-control optical element. 
   
   
     30. The optical element device of  claim 29 , wherein the liquid carrier has a triangular pillar body, a rectangular pillar body, a pentagonal pillar body, a polygonal pillar body or a circular pillar body. 
   
   
     31. The optical element device of  claim 27 , wherein the first liquid and the second liquid are alternately disposed such that a three-layer stack layer comprising the first, second and first liquid layers completely fills the interior of the liquid carrier. 
   
   
     32. A device having a plurality of liquid-control optical elements, each liquid-control optical element comprising a controlling electric field controlled contact interface formed by two immiscible liquids, wherein the liquid-control optical elements are arranged to form an array, each liquid-control optical element is controlled by at least a first voltage source and a second voltage source, the controlling electric field is varied by controlling the first voltage and the second voltage so as to adjust a slope of the contact interface of the two immiscible liquids, and hence to control the refraction or reflection angle of an incident light beam passing through the liquid-control optical element, wherein each liquid-control optical element is provided with a top electrode at a top side of the liquid-control optical element, and a first side electrode and a second side electrode at two opposite sides of the liquid-control optical element, and the first voltage source is connected between the top electrode and the first electrode, and the second voltage source is connected between the top electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first side electrode and the second electrode are configured on an outside wall of the liquid-control optical element. 
   
   
     33. A device having a plurality of liquid-control optical elements, each liquid-control optical element comprising a controlling electric field controlled contact interface formed by two immiscible liquids, wherein the liquid-control optical elements are arranged to stack one upon another, each liquid-control optical element is controlled by at least a first voltage source and a second voltage source, the controlling electric field is varied by controlling the first voltage and the second voltage so as to adjust a slope of the contact interface of the two immiscible liquids, and hence to control the refraction or reflection angle of an incident light beam passing through the liquid-control optical element, wherein each liquid-control optical element is provided with a top electrode at a top side of the liquid-control optical element, and a first side electrode and a second side electrode at two opposite sides of the liquid-control optical element, and the first voltage source is connected between the top electrode and the first electrode, and the second voltage source is connected between the top electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first side electrode and the second electrode are configured on an outside wall of the liquid-control optical element, and wherein each liquid-control optical element is hollow pillar shaped which defines an inner space, and the inner space is substantially completely filled with the first liquid and the second liquid. 
   
   
     34. The device of  claim 33 , wherein when the controlling electric field is not applied, the contact interface of the two immiscible liquids is substantially perpendicular to the first side electrode and the second side electrode.